Edison girls badminton wins Sac-Joaquin Section title

Saturday

LODI — Late in the third set of Saturday’s Sac-Joaquin Section girls badminton singles championship, the title started to come into focus for Lily Yang.

“All I thought was ‘it’s ok, I can do this,” Yang said. “This is my point, my game, my year.”

With that, the Edison junior completed the victory to become the section’s newest singles champion.

Yang beat Bear Creek’s Chelsea No — the reigning champ — by scores of 21-12, 16-21, 21-16 in Saturday’s finale at Tokay High. But the accolades didn’t end there; with the Vikings’ doubles pair of MJ Nayle and Donna Macion taking second, Edison took home the team section championship.

By finishing first and second, respectively, No and Yang qualify for the CIF State Regional Championships, set for May 18 at Independence High in San Jose. But, with No bowing out to attend a senior trip, third-place finisher Melinda Yang of Lincoln gets the ticket to state.

The section tournament began on Friday, where Lily Yang and No met for the first time. The two are familiar and friendly with each other, having been San Joaquin Athletic Association rivals this year.

That said, the progression from foes to friends was a bit of a process.

“At first, we weren’t friends,” No said. “We were rivals. (Even now), when we’re on the court, we have our game face on.”

Yang won the first encounter by scores of 21-15, 21-16, sending No to the loser’s bracket. The Bruins senior would have to five consecutive matches to make the championship, but the task at hand only served as fuel to the fire.

“It motivated me,” No said. “It was like, once I lose, I’m done.”

No made her way back, beating Melinda Yang to set up the rematch with Lily Yang, who had won two straight. The pair split the first two sets, and Lily Yang said her success in the third came down to her ability to mentally recognize what she needed to get an edge.

“I was able to slow down, pace myself,” Yang said. “How you view yourself on the court, and view yourself as a player is really important.”

Yang closed out the third set for the title, a stark improvement from her sixth-place finish as a sophomore. She said the experience itself was great, and the win acted as the ultimate vote of confidence.

“This competition proves to me that I have what it takes,” Yang said.

On the other side of the net, the loss closed the books on No’s career. The Bruin said she was really hoping to pick up one more victory, but was happy for Yang just the same.

“She really earned it, and I’m glad she got first,” No said.

The ensuing team title was huge for not just Yang, but Edison. The Vikings hadn’t won as a team since 2014, and Yang said finding success this year was incredibly important for a sport regarded as “underrated” around Stockton.

“To bring it back to Edison is amazing,” Yang said. “We get that recognition that we didn’t have before.

“I hope that through winning as a team, we’re able to draw more people into badminton."

Contact reporter Nick Woodard at (209) 546-8272 or nwoodard@recordnet.com. Follow him on Twitter@nwoodard25.

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